The Hidden Self
by aidan bard
Summary: Wufei is swept off his feet by a series of events beyond his control. Odd people, even odder situations and it is the day before his wedding … to Meiran. 1x5, yaoi, AU
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Hidden Self

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Gundam Wing universe or any of the Gundam Wing characters. I'm doing this for fun.

**Pairing: ** Main 1x5 but watch out for Duo :)

**Warnings: ** Yaoi, Romance, humor, AU

**Rating:** PG (for this chapter)

**Archive: ** For now, just here as a trial run. Once the edges are ironed out, I'll post this on the rest of the archives.

**Betaed : **by Stray ( lj user="grey_hunter")

**Summary:** Wufei is swept off his feet by a series of events beyond his control. Odd people, even odder situations and it is the day before his wedding … to Meiran.

**Request: ** Crystal asked me to write a 1x5 simialr to Sex Pistols. This is what I got

Part 1

Wufei was feeling distinctively twitchy as he sat in the shade and found it hard to concentrate on the book he was reading. Not that Family Law of the Long Family was exactly the sort of book he wanted to read but it seemed he had no choice in the matter if he wanted to escape his fate.

There was someone watching him -- had been watching in for the past half hour but had not made a move to reveal himself -- or herself. Wufei did not know what to think about it. Only Hunters crouched, waiting for prey, but Wufei did not consider himself prey since he was a Hunter himself. Unless, there was something in Wufei's vicinity to draw the attention of the Hunter who was waiting for Wufei to move before pouncing on his or her intended target. Wufei lifted his head and looked around, sniffed the air and let his ears move but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and all he could smell was the smoke from the fire a few miles away. He was about to go back to his reading when there was the sound of breaking twigs above him and Wufei looked up with a scowl.

"Duo," he called. "Is that you?"

There was the sound of a small scuffle and something fell off the top branch to land on Wufei's back neatly. "Yes, yes, yes, yes," the thing chattered happily. "Nuts, nuts, nuts."

Wufei had a feeling he knew exactly what the other Hunter had been staring at; even though Duo didn't look like a very satisfying meal, he looked like an extremely interesting one. Not now, with one cheek full of nuts, sounding like a small rodent that had gotten its head stuck in a drain pipe, but overall Wufei knew there was more to the long tailed menace than it met the eye. It was proof enough that he had not eaten the annoying creature in the first place.

Not that he actively ate the catch …straight off … they were civilized after all and food was meant to be cooked and eaten. But that did not mean he wanted to be caught socializing with food – though a small part of him realized that maybe Sally would be pleased with it. Still, he had his pride and he did not want to be seen with something he would normally eat, frisking up and down his back.

"Whoever you are, you'd better come out now," Wufei said aloud in the direction of the observer, instinctively assuming the dominant position . Anyway, Wufei thought he could handle any threat coming his way. He was not as large as his father, but he was a damn good fighter and everyone knew it. He had won all his fights and he could take down other cats twice his size.

The bush rustled, a lot closer than he had anticipated, and the foliage parted smoothly to reveal the intruder. The interloper stepped into the clearing and Wufei had to force himself not to get up and take a step back. But his fur stood on end and his hands, which were mostly human since he needed opposable thumbs to turn the pages of his book, shifted back into long claws, ready to attack. Duo crouched low on his back, near the neck and Wufei could feel those sharp nails digging into his nape.

The creature that had stepped out of the bushes was large. Not as large as Treize but still large … Wufei had thought it was a wolf before he realized the build was all wrong. Too_ large,_ there was no way around that word, and there were stripes and it was the wrong color. Too brown and orangish and the whiskers were all over the place. Even its fur was ruffled as if it -- he, as Wufei could see clearly, had been rolling in a thorny patch, nothing like Wufei's sleek black fur.

The newcomer stepped forward boldly, right into Wufei's personal space, and his nostrils flared. Wufei tensed, hind legs spread, ready to leap at the throat of the intruder. Being smaller has its advantages, too. It did not matter how large they were, not many animals survived having their throats ripped out.

"Is that a squirrel on your back?" the new comer asked in a deep voice and Wufei lost his concentration, startled. It was the last question he expected to be asked by someone as … imposing as this. Not that Wufei was impressed or anything … he just saw the potential in the newcomer to overwhelm others with his presence. That was all… He was sure that any animal coming across this large wolf-cat hybrid would be intimated ….

"Wings, wings, wings…." Duo chattered as he took a flying leap off Wufei's back onto the head of the other cat. "Wings, wings, wings…"

"Your name is Wings?" Wufei asked before he could help himself.

"Heero," the other cat said amiably enough.

"Wings, wings, wings," chattered Duo running down the back of Wufei as if he was on some giant roller coaster.

"Why does he call you Wings?" Wufei asked suspiciously. Not that being called Wings suited this creature or anything. Heero looked about as solidly grounded as any other land bound animal was. Unless this Heero-cat ran so fast it looked like he was flying. Wufei knew of a few ancestors in his family who had a bit of Cheetah in them who could run fast as well -- even he was faster than Meiran who was came from a pure bloodline. Still, being called Wings…

In answer, Heero flicked up a paw and Duo went flying off the back and smacked on to the ground. Before Wufei could react, a large paw clamped down on the brown, long tailed creature and pinned it to the ground.

"Duo," Wufei cried out involuntarily and took a step forward, snarling with his canines showing. By now his friend would be crushed beneath the weight of the paw. Wufei knew from experience how fragile the bones of a squirrel were -- how the ribcage shifted under his palm as if it were made of slender twigs that broke under pressure. By now those ribs would have shattered, driving shards of bones into those small lungs, and Duo would start to cough up blood and …

"Tickles, tickles, tickles," Duo chattered as he twisted under the paw. "Tickles, tickles, tickles."

Wufei looked closely at his friend and realized, though there was a huge paw on top of him, it was there for no other purpose than to immobilize him. Otherwise Duo seemed to be fine though a little squashed.

"You'd better let him go," Wufei growled anyway. It helped to let others know who was boss.

"Why?" Heero asked as he lifted Duo up by the scruff of his neck with a paw that had shifted to a partial hand carefully and brought him closer to his eyes for inspection. Duo glared at the cat as he hung in mid air in an undignified position with his hind legs splayed, leaving his soft belly unprotected. "If you were going to eat it, you'd have done so already."

"He's not food," Wufei snarled, taking a step closer. He was close enough to snatch Duo away from Heero but he was scared that he might hurt his friend in the process.

"He's not mate," said Heero as he wrinkled his nose and brought in Duo for a sniff. "Doesn't smell like mate and he's male."

Wufei scowled.

"And he's too small," Heero observed.

"Hey, who are you calling small buddy," Duo snarled. "Let me go or I'll pee in your eye."

"He means that," Wufei warned as Heero looked surprised that the animal he had been toying with apparently turned out to be a Changeling like them and intelligent enough to speak in sentences.

Heero gently placed Duo on the ground and the squirrel shook himself a couple of times before turning to look at Heero who was towering over him. "Watch the fur, mate."

"Is that why you're called Duo?" Heero asked looked more amused than angry. "Because you have two tails."

"Not a tail," Duo said huffily. "It's my hair."

"Hair!" Heero raised an eye brow.

"He's growing the fur on his back and braiding it into a second tail," Wufei said a little wryly, relaxing a little. By now, if the new cat has not tried to kill them, it was unlikely he was going to anytime soon.

Hn," said Heero with the air of someone taking in something of great importance.

"What do you want?" Wufei asked then frowned suspiciously. "Unless we are in your territory and you want to mark a claim." He had not been to his usual spot in some a while -- there had been little time with the arrangements of his upcoming wedding and all. In the end he had just run out of the house, feeling overwhelmed by all the details.

"Not my territory," Heero said with a shrug, sitting down on his haunches. Then he looked at Duo who had deemed it safer to run up Wufei's neck again than stay close to Heero. "Is it yours or your squirrel's?"

"Not my territory," Wufei said. Squirrels did not own property, at least not as far as he knew. Duo was trying to get his attention, hopping up and down insistently and pulling at his ear, which was so undignified. If someone had done that to his father that person would be dead. For someone to that to his grandfather, his grandfather would have to be dead.

"The squirrel is humping your back," Heero pointed out mildly.

"It's not," Wufei replied trying to remain dignified. "It's just jumping up and down."

"It's perfectly respectable to mate with a squirrel," Heero continued in a conciliatory tone. "I have a second cousin who's trying to courting a Deer."

"Must be bloody," Wufei blurted out before he could help it.

"Not really," Heero shrugged. "Quatre's one of those Deers without antlers so getting head butted hasn't done anything to Trowa apart from giving him a nosebleed."

"Oh," said Wufei floundering under the new information. "Duo is not my mate."

"But you are going to break your engagement," Heero stated matter-a-factly.

Startled, Wufei sat back on his hunches and looked around, spotted the book he was reading and then scowled. "What's it to you?"

"He's Relena's bodyguard," Duo shouted into Wufei's ear having given up his attempt at being discreet – or what passed for discreet for Duo, anyway. "Heero Yuy."

That got Wufei's attention and he snapped his chin up defensively. "Relena Peacecarft," he said. "The Peacecrafts are already here?"

"The wedding is tomorrow," Duo pointed out reasonably. "Guests customarily arrive a day early."

"Shut up," Wufei growled in frustration. He had all but forgotten that the guests would be flooding in by now, eager to see the new addition to the Long family.

"You aren't exactly glowing with happiness at the prospect of getting married," Heero observed sarcastically. At least Wufei assumed it was sarcasm, though it could have been a mere observation on the other cat's part.

"He's trying to break the engagement," Duo replied from top of Wufei's head.

"Ah," said Heero. "Because you want to mate with the squirrel."

Wufei scowled and did not bother answering since while he did not really want to mate with Duo, given the choice between Meiran and Duo, he would choose Duo hands or paws down.

"She suspected as much," Heero said.

"Who?" Wufei asked. "Meiran?"

"And your mother," Heero said. "I'm here on your intended's behalf to take you home so you can get ready for the wedding."

"My mother thought I was behaving like a tomcat in heat," Wufei exclaimed. "She should know I would never do such a thing. And she sends a Peacecraft bodyguard to bring me back…"

"_**The**_ Peacecraft bodyguard," Duo corrected him and a part of Wufei wondered how the airhead on the top of his head knew so much about state politics.

"…what did you expect to find," Wufei continued. "Me carousing with a stray Kangaroo?"

"Actually, you naked, frolicking under a waterfall," Heero deadpanned. "Isn't that the usual place for finding fairytale creatures?"

Wufei flushed as soon as his brain was capable of processing what was being said then scowled to cover it up though he was sure the black fur did a magnificent job hiding the excess blood rushing to his face. "Flattery will get you nowhere," he said a little too late for a proper comeback but still, it was better than nothing.

Heero shrugged and then stood on all four paws carefully, tail swishing once. "Back to business, you must come with me, Long Wufei."

"Chang Wufei," Wufei said automatically then added slightly bitterly. "Soon to be Long Wufei but at least not for another day."

"Stupid cat customs," Duo declared and though Wufei personally agreed that a clan did not need to be matrilineal, he had to protest for the sake of protesting.

"We're civilized," Wufei said, sounding a little chocked, as Heero got up and started moving around him, sniffing him gently. Wufei could see the way the other cat's whiskers twitched as he took in Wufei's scent. Since names had been exchanged it was only polite that they scent-identified each other as well. Wufei held himself in place as Heero stared out by sniffing him under the chin, behind the ear, neck, and then slowly towards his back, the way a proper, old fashioned greeting should be carried out.

Wufei stiffened, his hackles rising, not sure if he should react or let the other male smell him. Letting another male smell him this way was slightly disturbing, as if he was acknowledging that the bigger one was the alpha. In reply, Heero twisted around, faced Wufei and ran a wet tongue over Wufei's nose. Startled, Wufei leaned backwards but did not protest.

"You like it," Duo quipped, chattering directly into Wufei's ear, who could not honestly rebuff the claim.

"Shut up, Duo," he said a little weakly. "It's something we big cats do as a form of greeting."

"Must've missed that one in the Book of Long Family what-nots," Duo said, making Wufei wonder how on earth his friend came to be so observant.

Heero was directly behind him now and Wufei tensed as the larger male disappeared from view. He did not want to turn his head and appear scared but he did feel uneasy about it.

"You also sniff butts," Duo reminded him unnecessarily.

Wufei tensed.

Heero pounced on top of him so suddenly that Duo went flying over his head and landed on the ground in an undignified heap, with his paws splayed. A firm jaw clamped down on the back of Wufei's neck and a steady weight settled on his back, pushing him to the ground and pinning him there. Wufei's left cheek smacked into the ground, hard. He could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck as Heero climbed on top of his prone form and ground his …uh… nether regions firmly into Wufei's back.

Oh!

Oh, by the Ceiling Cat!!!

He was being molested by a cross-bred male cat!

Wufei could feel the way the jaws held his head immobile, firm but gentle and the way Heero's …uh… thing was rubbing against him. Involuntarily, his tail twisted out of the way and his rear legs pushed up so…Oh, he could not condone such actions, even if his body said yes. However, there was nothing he could do nothing, as Heero's superior weight pushed Wufei down, though he saw a small opening. Wufei shifted to human, slithered away from those great paws and turned around, ready to fight…

…just in time to see as a huge chestnut the size of a small fist hit Heero squarely on his forehead. "Pervert, pervert, pervert," Duo repeated as he thumped his blacklegs insistently on the ground. "Pervert."

There was a sudden silence and then Heero shifted to human as well. Wufei blinked … in his human form, Heero was as much a cross-bred as he was in his animal form. His face had an oriental tilt to it but he also had enough European blood in him to turn his eyes a startling blue and his messy hair brown, instead of black. His body was marred with scars and much to Wufei's horror, semi-erect. And Heero made no move to cover himself up, which was so barbaric.

"What exactly are you doing?" Wufei shouted angrily.

"Mating with you," Heero said as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Wufei tugged the book on Long Family Laws and dropped it onto his lap to hide his -- uh--- thing and scowled. He had not expected any company for awhile so had shifted after he had not brought any clothes with him. After all, even the Longs did not expect Changlings to be dressed for all ocasions. "You are out of your mind if you think…"

"You are perfectly compatible with me," Heero said. "Your hips are too narrow but you might even be able to bear litter under the right circumstances."

"I'm betrothed," Wufei said, grasping at straws. This was not happening to him.

"You were searching for a way to break it, and it didn't seem as if you found one on your own," Heero stated calmly.

"It's not something done so lightly," Wufei protested.

"But…" Duo said shifting as well into his human form; violet eyes and long chestnut hair in a braid. Though Duo was a little shorter than Heero, he was not a small as his animal form suggested and Duo's braid, Wufei noted with amusement, was arranged strategically to cover his vulnerable parts. Wufei noted that his friend also had a pouch full of nuts tied to his waist.. "…it can be done, right, Wufei and this is your chance."

"Stay out of this," Wufei snapped.

"Tell me about it," Heero growled at Duo, ignoring Wufei.

"You have to challenge his future mate for the right to mate with him," Duo said.

"That's not…it applies only to females…" Wufei said weakly.

"There's no rule stating that," Duo pointed out, sounding more intelligent than his form would suggest. "It's only been _applied_ to females so far."

"Let's go," Heero said decisively. "I'll challenge Long Meiran for the right to mate with you."

"I…you can't," Wufei protested. "Meiran is just a female. I'll fight you instead…"

"For the right to stay engaged or to break it?" Duo asked in a sotto-voice.

"You're not helping," Wufei snapped.

"You wanted a way out of your parents' plans for your future," Duo said reasonably. "I've just seen a way. Consider it that you were just handed a way on a silver platter."

"But not by being mated to him," Wufei hissed back.

"But why not?" Duo said cheekily. "You weren't protesting much while he was humping you."

Ps. I'm moving ot Singapore in January – NUS. Anyone willing to rent me a place to stay


	2. Chapter 2

Animal fic 2

Wufei had been to more cheerful funerals. Why, the last time Great aunt Matilda had died of old age, just after her hundred and fifty-sixth birthday, they'd thrown her a farewell party and Wufei had even seen his father smile while the guests had gotten drunk on fermented catnip and milk. And this was supposed to be his wedding day.

Wufei kept his head down, letting his hair that had been carefully combed, by a maid of the long family, fall down like a black curtain - on either side of his face, wishing it could cover his face completely. He stood in stoic silence while his aunt, Lady Une, muttered under her breath as she finished the final touches to his clothes.

Lady Une had married into a good family and, after the death of her husband, had moved back home to be by her brothers side. Her brief marriage had not produced any children, rather a title and a waspish temper that that her relatives could have done without. In the entire family, she was the one whose Cheetah origins stood out most strongly, giving her human form a long legged slenderness and a feral edge which tended to come out the most inconvenient times.

"Your father is a good man, you understand," she snarled as she tugged the hem of his shirt down. "A concubine* has no business producing a male kit before the wife. A singlet at that and a runt on the top of it." She huffed as she pushed back his hair and scowled directly into his eyes. "Runts like you should have been drowned in the river – that's what we did in the olden days. Kept our pack nice and healthy." She gave Wufei's bony shoulders a shove as if to remind him of his smaller stature, and then, failing to get a reaction from him, continued with her mumblings.

"The Longs are a good match, their bloodline is good even though they lack financial backing. They were willing to overlook your shortcomings –"She was talking about Wufei …entire clan of course. Wufei being the son of the fifth concubine even though he was the only male child in the entire clan. Even his name, put together hurriedly, spoke volumes about the fact that no one gave much thought about him. "All you have to do was lie with their daughter and produce a decent litter," Lady Une continued as she tried to stop his shirt from sliding down his shoulders.

The Longs had been kind enough to provide Wufei with his wedding apparel – of some generic size which was too large for him. Even his shoes were too large but after all the trouble he had caused everyone, Wufei was in no position to complain.

Wufei could feel anger warring with guilt inside him. He knew he had betrayed his clan. His parents, mostly his mother since is father probably did not care about his existence, had refused to even see him after Heero Yuy had challenged Meiran the previous day. The shock had been evident – especially since he had not protested against the challenge. The fact Meiran had agreed to give up Wufei without a fight had not meant much in the eyes of the family. Wufei had soiled his family's name with his actions. He was going to be an outcast for the rest of his life.

"Thank the Ceiling Cat, the wedding didn't go through," said a cheerful voice as Meiran showed up at the doorway. With a clap of her hands, she dismissed the maid and walked up to Wufei, ignoring Lady Une as if she was also a maid. Up closer, Meiran was pretty, bordering on beautiful. Her long hair was combed back and held in place with gold clips and her face was done up expertly. "You may leave," she told Lady Une dismissively and his aunt had no other choice but to walk out, with the expression of someone sucking on a lemon. Meiran was almost the same height as Wufei, which made her shorter than his aunt but, having gown up in the Long household as the next heir, she was more used to ordering people around than he was. "Did you think I wanted to get married?"

"You didn't say anything," Wufei said, ignoring the way that Lady Une was glaring at Meiran ineffectively from just outside the doorway.

"You didn't say anything, either," Merian pointed out cheerfully. Wufei refrained from pointing out that neither of them had much choice in the matter. "You just brought home a big thug to make mincemeat out of me." She was less forceful that Lady Une but her gaze was just as scathing. "Did you hate me that much?"

Wufei floundered under the new information. He did not even know Meiran well enough to decide if he hated her or not. Though they lived on neighbouring estates, Wufei was not exactly a social person and Merian had spent most of her childhood in a finishing school in Switzerland, giving them very little chance to interact. He had seen her for the first time from across the room while seated on a small cushion while their respective fathers had sealed their wedding four year ago. He had not even understood the seriousness of the concept until the wedding day had started looming closer and closer. "I…" he said a little weakly. "Don't even know you," he admitted finally.

"I didn't know you either," she replied somberly. "Who knows, I might have even liked you … a bit."

"I'm sorry," Wufei said looking down at the expensive shoes he was wearing. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Don't look so miserable," Meiran said cheerfully. "It's your wedding so you might as well look a little perky. Thanks to what you did, my parents will have to look for a suitable husband for me again and in the meantime, I can do something I want. Perhaps go off to one of those mountain side retreats where they teach women to fight."

"Who told you about those?" Wufei asked, his head jerking up in surprise.

"Treize," Meiran replied. "He's here for the wedding." She looked around the room and smiled a little. "I also met Relena Peacecraft who invited me to come back with her to Sanc. Said something about spurned love having to stick together." Meiran shrugged. "She's rather bland at times – so earnest in what she says it makes your teeth hurt but her maid Dorothy is interesting – I think."

Wufei remained silent. From what he knew, Dorothy was not Relena's maid but rather, her friend; but Meiran did not understand the concept of friendship between two people with different social standings.

"I have to go. A lot of guests to attend to and to tell them that the wedding is going to take place, there's just been a change of the bride." She gave a giggle and bounced out of the room, all cheer and rose-scented perfume. She stopped by Lady Une, who was still hovering outside the door and said something to his aunt which had her standing straighter and following Meiran, her face showing just how much effort it took her to bow to the younger girl.

Wufei walked to the door and pushed it shut when something landed heavily on top him from the chandelier. "Duo," he said tiredly, too down to even appear startled. "I was wondering where you were."

"Scary woman," Duo muttered, and as he ran down Wufei's shoulder, Wufei noted that one of his cheeks was puffed as if stuffed with something.

"My aunt," Wufei inquired. "Or Meiran?"

"Both," said Duo as he landed on the floor and shifted to his human form. Wufei looked away politely while Duo rooted around the room to find something to wear. "I can see why you don't want to marry her," he said seriously. "She's pretty, lively and seems to be extremely spirited."

"What am I to do?" Wufei wailed as he abruptly turned around, looking for his friend. Then he turned away just as quickly when he noticed that Duo was still in the process of scrambling into a pair of jeans that belonged to Wufei. "How was I to know that the Longs would insist that I marry Heero today – "

"All the wedding preparations were in place and the guests were already here," Duo pointed out, voice sounding muffled. "It'd have been a waste to throw away all that food."

"And considering that fact, Long was saving face because I refused to marry their daughter. This way, they'll at least have some political standing," Wufei concluded. "It was political marriage to start off with." He eyed his traditional wedding costume and grimaced. Red was never his best color – it made him look as if he was on fire – but everyone had come to see two people get married in their traditional clothes so it was what they were getting. It was, Wufei had to admit, a costume party; a western wedding done with everyone dressed in an Eastern style, something to please everyone, even the Peacecrafts. It was a joke on everyone, including himself who seemed to have stepped from the frying pan to the fire. "I don't want to marry Heero," he said loudly, to no one in particular.

"I don't think you'll find someone to fight him," Duo said a little dryly as he stepped into view. The borrowed jeans rode low on his hips, weighed down by the nuts stuffed in its pockets, and the black tank top he'd chosen wasn't long enough for him to be able to tuck it into the waistband. The effect, coupled with the long braid and purple eyes, was rather eye catching. "Unless this Treize person you play chess with would…"

Wufei had a sudden image of Treize challenging Heero in his animal form with his rapier and shook his head.

"Is Treize a monkey … I mean, human?" Duo asked.

"Boa constrictor," Wufei replied tersely as he remembered that Trieze was probably outside, mingling with the guests while waiting for the bride, that is Wufei, to emerge. He'd never live it down.

"Cold blooded and non-venomous, very insistent, tends to swallow people whole." Duo nodded understandingly. "Not exactly your type... Heero is more your -- flavour, I guess."

Wufei turned around and stared at Duo who was blithely walking around, examining the contents of the room. He wanted to ask what Duo meant by that comment but he was not sure if he wanted to know the answer. "You have another hour before you make your appearance so how about finding something to eat?"

There was a knock on the door. They both paused and looked at each other in puzzlement. No one knocked on the door of the room Wufei was in. The servants of the Long family tended to just waltz in and out, since Wufei ranked a little lower in the hierarchy than they did, having incurred the wrath of both the Longs and the Changs. Lady Une probably did not care enough about him to knock, and Meiran was hardly the type to knock and wait patiently outside for someone to answer.

Wufei shrugged and started towards the door, hitching up his loose red pants so they would not trip him as he walked.

"I'll get it," Duo said suddenly, looking serious. "Not many people here are pleased with you. Better if I deal with whoever is outside." Wufei opened his mouth to protest, then nodded gratefully. Duo might look and sound flaky, and might have ran at the sight of Lady Une, but he could be counted on to defend his territory. Duo was, Wufei had noted before, rather a fierce little creature when surprised". Perhaps it was why Wufei had not eaten him the first time he'd stumbled upon the small squirrel during one of his walk-abouts.

Duo strode to the door his bare feet, probably because Wufei's shoes did not fit him, and pulled it open, just as Wufei wondered if Lady Une had learned the art of knocking and was now standing on the other side with a long hilted axe, waiting for Wufei to open the door. "Duo …don't…" he called out just as a fist lashed out through the partially open doorway and caught Duo, who was in the process of looking at Wufei over his shoulder, in the jaw.

Duo reeled backwards but managed to find his footing just as Wufei took a step forward and had to stop before he could trip over the hem of his trousers. He watched with wide-eyed fascination as an unfamiliar naked man pushed Duo backwards and jumped into the room.

The newcomer was taller than either of them, slender, and had a wild look in his single visible eye. His other eye was covered by a thatch of long hair falling over it, contrasting with the rest of his body, which was mostly hairless.

"What did you do to him?" the one-eyed youth demanded even as he tried to hit Duo again. "He is not the type to do anything like this –" Duo danced back lightly on his feet, missing a flying fist by a couple of millimeters "… Heero is stable, levelheaded and calm. Do you know what kind of political ramifications this will have…" Another fist drove Duo to the wall in front of Wufei's staring eyes,. "… the Peacecrafts are livid … Heero came here as their guest and now…" another fist just missed Duo's head but only because he had slid down the wall to the floor in the last minute "…Do you think you can have him just because you look pretty and can bat your pretty eyes and walk around half dressed…?" Duo shifted to his animal form, probably planning on running away in his more agile body, but then the other man shifted as well. His face elongated into a snout and his eyes pushed up to the sides of his head and when he fell on all fours, he became a wolf. A feral looking wolf that could give Lady Une a run for her money on one of her bad days.

Wufei realized that the newcomer, in his animal form, was probably going to be extremely agile the same time as Duo realized his mistake. The clothes he had been wearing flopped on top of him, trapping the small squirrel before he could get away.

As a great shaggy paw started to descend on his friend, Wufei reacted, diving forward where the other two were, and kicked the wolf squarely in the middle. Both the wolf and Wufei's left shoe went flying to the corner of the room, and thudded against the wall. The wolf growled and struggled to his feet even as Wufei cursed his inability to shift. After hours spent getting into his clothes, he did not want to get out of them fast, or damage them while shifting.

Instead, he kicked away the other shoe and rushed forward, aiming for another kick. The wolf moved sideways, Wufei jumped back crouched …looking for an opening. His hands were shifting to claws and he could feel his face fur growing. He might not shift completely but he could use some of his more natural weapons to parry. When he snarled, Wufei knew his fangs had also made an appearance. The wolf seemed to take in Wufei with wide eyes, as startled by his appearance was Wufei and Duo had been by the wolf's. Taking advantage of the situation, Wufei kicked pushing the wolf to the floor.

Duo darted out from between the furniture, trailing a tassel with elaborate design, probably from a curtain, and started tying up the wolf's paws with a couple of complicated knots that had him looking as if he was a pig trussed up for dinner. A rather furry pig…

Wufei watched bemusedly as Duo ran up the wolf, landed on top of his head and jumped up and down excitedly, "Me got big bad wolf, wolf, wolf, bad wolf…"

"So you did," came a new voice from the direction of the door. All three turned towards the doorway, where a carefully dressed blond stood. He was perhaps a few inches taller than Wufei, carefully groomed, and looked amused by the scene.

Wufei stood straighter, letting his body shift to human and tried to look dignified. The wolf stopped struggling and Duo made an 'eep' sound and darted towards the clothes he had worn previously that now lay in a pile on the floor.

"Trowa, stand up," the blond said with a roll of his eyes. "You look ridiculous. What were you thinking running off like that?"

The wolf shifted and the tassels fell off easily. The wolf could have done that before, Wufei realized, but had decided to stay that way. Wufei frowned, trying to process it. This was the second time the wolf had hesitated; the first time had been when he had been just about to attack Duo in his animal form. When Duo had gotten tangled up in his clothing the wolf could have crushed him easily. But he had held back – so the wolf had not intended to inflict grievous bodily damage.

There was a rustling sound as Duo got dressed hurriedly in a corner. A duffel bag landed on the ground in front of the naked wolf – Trowa – thrown there by the blond. "Get dressed, Trowa," the blond continued while Wufei was occupied with discreetly pulling his clothes into some order and looking for his shoes. "I'm sorry for the disturbance – Trowa is a little …"

"Feral," Duo suggested from across the room and Wufei watched the blond turn towards the former squirrel, take another look and blush. Oh!

"Who are you?" Wufei asked with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I'm…" the blond turned back to Wufei, taking in his clothes and then managed an awkward bow. "Uh…sorry for the intrusion, I'm Quatre Raberba Winner and this here is Trowa Barton. Trowa is Heero's cousin and you must be…"

"Chang Wufei," Wufei replied politely, the name Winner making an impression on him even if the boy did not look like much. Winners industries was famous even if this boy was not. "I'm …I'm the one …" he gulped. "…marrying Heero Yuy," he told the wolf – Trowa who was putting on his clothes in the middle of the room. "This is Duo Maxwell, my friend."

"Oh," said the wolf, taking in Wufei carefully. "Red doesn't suit you."

Wufei blushed while Quatre groaned. "I know," he snapped defensively.

"Still don't see what Heero saw in you," Trowa continued bluntly as he zipped up his pants after tucking in his shirt. "What are you anyway – a black …cat?"

"Panther," Wufei said with a growl.

"You are too small to be a panther"," Trowa said dismissively. "And you have a squirrel in your room." 'Squirrel' was said with the same infliction as someone would say 'earth-worm', making Duo snarl.

"He's a friend." All four turned around as Heero appeared at the doorway, took in the room's occupants and nodded in recognition. "You made it to the wedding," he said to Trowa, sounding pleased.

"I came to stop the wedding," Trowa corrected him. "This is insanity – you can't marry someone you've just met…"

"Stop the wedding," Heero repeated, probably never having heard the second line in the conversation.

"By beating up the bride," Duo chipped in.

"I'm not the bride," Wufei snapped.

"Neither am I, but I'm the one who got hit," Duo pointed, out rubbing his jaw.

Trowa had the decency to look embarrassed as he looked at Duo's reddening face. "I'm sorry," he said, actually sounding as if he meant it. "I heard the bride was in this room and you opened the door and…"

"You hit him." Heero sounded shocked.

"I didn't mean to," Trowa said, probably little ashamed of his actions.

"Just like you didn't run all the way here when you heard of the news," Quatre chipped in, looking displeased.

"How did you get here?" Trowa asked the blond, taking in his unruffled appearance for the first time.

"I took a taxi from the spaceport," the blond replied dryly. "Some of us are not built to run miles across the plains."

"You're the deer," Wufei blurted out before he could help it. "You're the deer who's being courted by a…" he looked at Trowa who was looking at Heero with an inscrutable look.

"You told him about us?" Trowa asked disbelieving.

"You're family," Heero said with a shrug and that gave Trowa a pause. Something seemed to relax inside him and he nodded.

"So," said Quatre, turning towards Wufei. "You're going to be our new addition."

"Addition," Wufei parroted weakly.

"We have to leave," Heero injected firmly. "Relena is out to stop the wedding and we don't have time to argue."

"Stop the wedding?" Wufei asked, wondering what was going on.

"Eloping," Duo quipped. "Ah, young love."

"Relena still hasn't given up on you, has she," Quatre observed Heero, making Wufei wonder if he was missing something.

"I guess he is better than the peacock." Trowa seemed to have come to a decision. "Fine."

"Peacock," Wufei felt as if he was live echo.

"You had the balls to stand up Relena Peacecraft? …Or… Wait a minute… is it her brother, the golden peacock?" Duo wagged his eyebrows suggestively. "They are both peacocks though I think she's a peahen, right?"

"The Taxi I came with is still standing outside," Quatre said, ignoring Duo. "I told the driver to wait a little, incase I had to drag Trowa out. We can leave with that."

"Fine," Heero nodded.

"We can't leave…" Wufei protested, feeling reality slipping out of his grip.

"We'll have a wedding else where," Heero said, misinterpreting his hesitation.

"But…"

"And you can wear something that is not red," Quatre offered helpfully

"You look like an overripe strawberry, wearing that." Trowa it seemed was not the sort of person who knew a lot about the art of speaking politly.

Wufei opened his mouth to explain the situation but stopped. His aunt would be glad to see him go. His parents would not care and the Longs … they'd celebrate. "This Peacecraft woman wants you," he said instead to Heero.

"Hn," Heero responded, evading his gaze.

"Relena is obsessed with him," Trowa corrected. "And she is very persistent."

"Alright. Let's go," Wufei said. He knew all about domineering women. But then it occurred to him that he did not know what he was getting himself into. All of a sudden, a panicked feeling overwhelmed him. He looked at the total strangers in the room with whom he was supposed to leave.

Then there was the weight of arms around his shoulder. "Me come too," Duo whispered in his ear and he relaxed.

[footnote to shoes] In ancient China, different shoes were worn to suit particular occasions. Wedding shoes were either pink or red, and embroidered with auspicious bird and floral patterns. In the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.220), brides wore wooden sandals painted with floral patterns and tied with five colorful silk straps, and Manchurian brides of the Qing Dynasty wore blue cloth shoes embroidered with the red double "happiness" characters.

.

.com/beijing-history/concubines-of-ancient-china

article of concubines

. - Chinese Wedding Dress

(Ok, I realize the links don't show up in but you can google for them if you're interested. )


	3. Chapter 3

Animal 3

By the time they were halfway to the space port, Wufei was able to remember half a dozen of things he had left behind. All his books were back at his home along with his training gear, which included his sword and meditation mat. He sat up straight in the taxi, jostling Duo who was riding on his shoulder in his animal form, and leaned over to the driver's seat. "We have to go back," he said. "I have to pick up my things."

"We'll buy you whatever you want on the way," Quatre said in a reassuring voice.

Wufei turned towards the blond ad glared. He knew of Winners by reputation, if not in person. "I doubt very much that your money can by me things that have sentimental value," he said coldly. "When my relatives learn of my departure, all my belongings will be destroyed."

The blond blinked, taken aback then nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry," he said. "We'll make a call as soon as we are at the spaceport. Will it be too late by then? It's only half an hour away."

Wufei shook his head silently. Half an hour was not enough for anyone to figure out that he was no longer in the estate and they would not dispose of his possession if there was a remote chance that he might return. Plus such behavior was left for when there were no outsiders in the vicinity to observe them. However, Wufei did not think it would be easy to get his stuff back. He doubted it very much that his parents or his aunt would be willing to let his insult to the family pass so easily. And Wufei was having second thoughts. Well, more like a hundred and second thoughts about going off with a bunch of strangers to Ceiling Cat knows where because he did not want to get married to a rich, pretty girl.

"I don't know about this," Trowa spoke up from the passenger seat, voicing Wufei's thoughts. "What do we know about him? Why does Heero want to bring him along?"

"Trowa," Quatre hissed from the from behind. "How can you say that? Wufei means a lot to Heero – this is the first time he's taken an interest in anything …"

"Other than his gun you mean," Trowa said dryly, twisting around to look at the back seat's occupants. "So, Wu…Fei," he said, dragging the name a little as if he could not exactly remember it. "What exactly do you do?"

"Do?" Wufei echoed in confusion. What did that mean?

"It doesn't matter what he does," Heero spoke up for the first time from the other side of Wufei and put a hand around Wufei's shoulder in a gesture he'd probably meant as reassuring. Wufei jumped a little. His shoulders protested against the rough handling, which felt as if they had been squeezed into a steel clamp, and glared at the boy before turning back to Trowa.

"What do you mean, what do I do?" he asked slowly.

"Do you have a job, do you work, do you have a steady income or…"

"Oh," said Wufei with a start. He had never even considered that he might have to support himself. He had simply, on a momentary impulse, decided to run off with a bunch of strangers. Perhaps it was his aunt's biting words that had spurred him into action but really…

"Wufei reads," Duo chirped from his place on Wufei's shoulder. "He reads a lot."

Even to Wufei's who was trying to think of something he did well, that did not really think reading counted as work.

"So," said Trowa curious. "What do you study for?"

"Study," Wufei said in surprise. "I just read everything I come across. It was supposed to help me in the future to … well, get on with life."

Trowa made a face which told Wufei exactly what he thought about people who believed in learning about the world through books. "He's a totally useless pretty boy," Trowa told Heero with the air of someone who had been proved correct. "What do you see in him?"

"The point is, Heero saw him," Quatre said in a conciliatory manner from Wufei's left, making him feel about as significant as a discarded toffee wrapper. If that was supposed to make him feel better, he would have been better off staying home and marrying to Meiran.

"Wufei also has big, big…" said Duo sitting up on his hind legs, balance on Wufei's knee, arms spread for emphasis.

"I don't want to know," Trowa snapped hastily.

"Sword," Duo finished triumphantly.

"You can fight," Trowa made the statement sound like a question about Wufei's ability to fly. Wufei could feel his face reddening as he tried to fight back his temper.

"I know several unarmed and armed combat styles," Wufei replied with a toss of his head. He was good at that, better than Meiran was, if he was to believe his teacher, but really, it was not worth mentioning. He was not a fighter – he was scholar and violence did not solve anything.

"Wufei doesn't need to be able to do anything," Heero said firmly.

"Apart from spreading his legs," Trowa muttered, turning around, and Wufei jumped well away from Heero as if he'd been bitten.

"Look," said Quatre before Wufei could either leap out of the moving vehicle or strangle the annoying tall boy with hair over his face. "It's just Trowa's way of protecting Heero. He thinks of Heero like a younger brother at times, and he thinks he's shielding Heero from potential gold diggers."

"What do you mean protect Heero from gold diggers?" Wufei asked as curious. From what he could see the only thing Heero needed protection from was a good knock on the head. And he looked as if he had an extremely hard head at that. "And how can you say he's your cousin when it doesn't look as if you're even from the same breed, let alone same pack."

"I don't have a pack," Heero replied in monotone at that.

"Orphan," Wufei guessed, berating himself for the umpteenth time for having decided to flee with a total stranger. The only thing he knew about Heero was his name – and now the names of his cousin and – er – prospective mate which was not very helpful.

"I was made," Heero answered shortly as if it was the answer to everything.

"Uh?" said Wufei, surprised, and looked at Duo for clarification just as the taxi came to an abrupt halt. The squirrel hurtled though the gap between the two seats in the front and would have hit the glass, had Wufei not reacted quickly and grabbed him by the tail.

"Ouchieee," Duo yelled as he hung upside down by the tail. "Tail ouchieee."

Trowa turned around, grabbed Duo, and had him upright before Wufei could even move forward. He lifted Duo clean off Wufei's fist and looked at him closely. "You ok?"

In reply Duo wriggled free, probably unsure as to where he stood with Trowa, and bounced over the seats back on to Wufei's chest. Wufei cradled Duo with one his hands and looked over his friend for any injuries. "You hurt?"

"Tail," Duo snapped back. "Don't touch the tail."

"It was either that or the hair," Wufei said, used to Duo's odd behavior. The first time he's pulled Duo's braid the feisty creature had almost bitten his finger off.

"What exactly is your relationship with that squirrel anyway?" Trowa growled from the front seat. "You're too close to be friends."

"Oh shut up," snarled back Wufei, wishing Quatre would get off so he could also wriggle out of the taxi. "If you want Heero so badly, you can keep him. I'm going back home."

"You're staying," Heero stated firmly from behind him and Wufei had to fight his instincts to turn around sharply. He had not even heard Heero move. True, the spaceport was rather noisy but they were still in the parking lot and Wufei did know his hearing was excellent. "Quatre, call the Chang residence and tell them to send Wufei's things."

"I'm on it," Quatre nodded with a roll of his eyes.

"Let me," Wufei stated quickly. "I'll be the one to deal with this…"

"Something tells me you aren't the most diplomatic guy here," Quatre said with a tilt of his head. "I'm better at handling this, considering it was my fault as much as yours for helping Heero with his hare-brained idea."

Wufei stared at the blond, understanding what was being said between the lines. Perhaps if a Winner were to mediate between him and his family, there might be fewer repercussions. After all, saving face was what the Changs were famous for over the years. "Thank you," he said formally. "But I am reconsidering my choice," he said. "Perhaps it would be best if…"

"No!" Heero's hands around his middle felt like iron-bars. "He stays." Wufei wondered if Heero's vocabulary had just taken a dive the way Duo's seemed to when he shifted into animal form. He scowled, looked around to make sure that no one was watching them, and kicked Heero neatly in the instep, forcing him to let go.

When he turned around Quatre was regarding him with an odd expression on his face, as if considering something. "What's wrong?" Wufei snapped, feeling awkward. "Do I have something on my face?"

"We can discuss this later," said Quatre, looking around as Trowa dealt with he taxi driver. "Rashid is supposed to meet me here. He'll have a phone on him."

Wufei wondered who Rashid was but he did not voice the question. He was sure that if he was to know something, he would be told. Otherwise, he would find out at his own pace. Being curious was not a trait encouraged by his family; he had learned everything he knew by self-study.

Duo, though, did not have the same upbringing Wufei did. There was a scampering sound and the squirrel jumped onto Quatre's shoulder and nosed his ear. "Who he?"

"Rashid," Quatre seemed to consider the question deeply as Duo continued to sniff his neck. "He's a family employee – he's sort of like a bodyguard, I suppose."

Wufei could understand that a Winner needed bodyguards but still, "He lets you go alone?" he asked.

"No," Quatre said with a rueful smile. "He's going to be mad that I snaked out without telling him. But if I'd waited for him to get everything together and accompany me in the official vehicle to the Chang residence, it'd have taken me ages and the Great Camel knows what Trowa would have done in the mean time."

Just then, a large man with a beard appeared at the VIP entrance of the space port, spotted Quatre, and started to make his way towards the group rapidly. Watching his gait, powerful but agile, Wufei wondered what his shift form was, before returning his attention to Heero who was scowling at the world in general. He focused on Wufei immediately and once again, stepped into his personal space. "You can't leave," he stated the way someone would utter a death threat.

Wufei looked around, ignoring Quatre who was having some sort of argument, to Trowa who was hanging in the outskirts of it, trying to intervene. "Is that a threat?"

Heero seemed startled by it. "You can't leave," he said repeated after a while. "We're getting married."

"That's not an answer," Wufei snapped back angrily. "I meant …" He paused and looked around for Duo for support. Sometimes his friend gave him enough cues to carry on a normal conversation without sounding stilted. But Duo seemed more absorbed with the interaction between the blond and his bodyguard to pay any attention to Wufei, who desperately needed some help in carrying out a discussion. "I don't even want to talk about marrying you," he said heatedly. "I just don't like the way you seem to think I'd just follow your orders just because you …you …" _saved me from marrying a woman_ "…stopped my present engagement."

"It's not an order," Heero stated, looking slightly confused. "I merely told you that you can't leave since you are already here."

"But…"

"It's useless arguing with Heero," Quatre told Wufei as he petted Duo absentmindedly. Rashid seemed to have vanished and there was no hand phone or anything visible either. "Everything is a straight line to him and there are no two choices for anything. I swear, had Heero invented the wheel, it'd be a perfect square."

"I fail to see the logic in that," Wufei told the blond coldly, sure that the promise to call his home had already been forgotten.

"Never mind that," Heero said firmly as if the conversation was inconsequential. "Perhaps we should move to a less exposed area."

"That's right," Quatre nodded in agreement. "My ship is at the third hangar bay. We can go there until we're cleared for takeoff."

Wufei digested the information that one, Winner had a ship under his command – whether it was a space ship or a simple atmospheric skimmer – and two, they were about to travel in it. He'd never been on anything other than a few hovercrafts before and wondered what the experience would feel like.

They proceeded through the VIP entrance, past the harassed looking crowds that were waiting in long queues, and into the private hangar that was protected by a group of men who were dressed in the same fashion as Rashi was.

The 'ship' turned out to be a modified atmospheric skimmer, all streamlined and beautiful, with the Winner logo displayed boldly on either side. While Wufei was dying to walk around and inspect it from the outside, he decided that he did not want to risk looking like a country bumpkin. He would hopefully have enough time to go over the craft in detail later on.

The inside of the plane was fully carpeted, spacious and comfortably designed to resemble the interior of an opulent sitting room. Wufei assumed there were other rooms adjacent to the sitting room but he did not feel at ease with the present company to try and explore – he was sure Trowa would find something derisive ot say about it at least and the last thing Wufei needed just then was to be provoked. Duo bounced happily through the seats, his tail bobbing, as he explored everything with unbridled enthusiasm. Wufei desperately wished he had Duo's devil may care attitude so he could also put his head into the spaces above the seats to see what they contained.

"If you'll excuse me," Quatre said once they were seated. "I'll go and call the Chang residence now. Heero, why don't you get Wufei something to drink?"

Heero nodded and walked over to a wall paneling. He slid it to the side, revealing a mini-bar, and pulled out a glass bottle and a couple of glasses.

"I'll …" Wufei hesitated. "Have something non-alcoholic."

"Understood." Heero poured whatever it was into two glasses. The drink frothed and foamed as he handed one to Trowa who took it while looking down his nose at Wufei as if to mock him about his choice. Heero seemed not to notice the interaction as he turned towards the bar again. "What'd you prefer?" he asked Wufei.

Wufei shrugged. He wasn't particularly thirsty or hungry, just plain nervous and he did not know what to do. "I don't know," he said. "You choose."

It seemed that he had thrown a wrench into Heero's mental reasoning with those words since he froze in front of the bar. From the way his eyes flickered Wufei could see that Heero was going over the available alternatives rapidly but seemed unable to decide what to choose for someone else. Perhaps, Wufei thought faintly amused, Heero had never done something as simple as select a drink for someone else. Or perhaps there was something extremely wrong with Heero –perhaps he was crazy or just plain slow.

"What do you see in him," Trowa said equally coldly. "Seriously, Heero you could do better than him."

Wufei turned towards the wolf, bristling, and had he been in his animal form, his fur would have stood on end. He opened his mouth to tell the annoyance exactly what he thought of such comments, forgetting about Heero's little quirk about being unable to choose a drink.

"I saw him for the first time sitting under the tree reading, I thought he was a rather neat looking cat," he said it as if he were reading from a book. "His fur was perfectly arranged and his tail was curled under him. His ears were twitching as he read and the way the… " It seemed what Quatre said was true since Heero seemed to have taken the question literally. Wufei blushed.

"That sounds so romantic," Duo mused aloud. "What's he describing, a murder scene?" He jumped up and down on the back of a seat before saying, in a subdued tone. "What Trowa meant was, what you know of Wufei?"

Heero stopped, blinked and nodded. "He's the illegitimate son of ….. Chang and his fifth mistress, the only male born to the Chang family this generation. He is eighteen years old and has been home schooled since birth." He turned to Wufei and nodded. "The file on you did not mention your hand-to-had fighting skills or your weapons proficiency though it did say you were five feet seven and you weighed sixty kilos. You weigh slightly more than that now, so you must have put on weight during the …"

Wufei was speechless for three seconds before he jumped at Heero with his arms extended intent on strangling him. "I'm not illegitimate," he shouted as he jumped. "My mother might be a concubine but I have been accepted as the heir to the family."

Heero stepped back neatly and Wufei missed him by the fraction of an inch. He spun around on his heels, turning around swiftly, knowing he had made a mistake already. Wufei's old master had always warned him about the dangers of attacking someone in anger – it was the first step towards defeat. But listening to his facts recited so coldly had made him aware of exactly what he was …

"Stop it, both of you!" Quatre's voice was effective as whip-lash. "Heero, don't say anything. Don't say anything until I speak to Wufei alone. Trowa, go help Rashid get clearance for another guest and see if he has send someone to the Chang residence and … Duo, stop pulling Heero's hair."

Wufei stopped his attack, breathing heavily in his anger, directing his wrath at the blond who was a more likely target than Heero, who was standing there, looking impassive. "I don't know what sort of arrangement you have with each other," he told the blond, "I'm sure you're comfortable giving orders to everybody including the person who's courting you but …"

"Who's courting me?" Quatre asked in surprise just as Trowa who was halfway through the doorway came out rapidly.

"He means Trowa," Duo said helpfully.

"Trowa is a friend," Quatre said looking and sounding puzzled. "A close family friend but nothing more. Whoever gave you the impression that we're more than that is mistaken."

Standing directly behind Quatre, Trowa was mimicking someone getting his throat slit while pointing at Wufei and then zipping his mouth, which Wufei took to mean if he did not keep quiet, the taller boy would kill him.

"But I thought …" Heero said looking slight confused.

"I thought you were getting a drink for me," Wufei interrupted hastily. He might not really like the wolf but he did not wish to see anyone humiliated like that. Again, the shuttered expression came onto Heero and the blond was quick to notice it as well.

"Why don't you drink yours before it fizzes out," Quatre said. "Wufei would you like a glass of apple-fizz. That's what we're all drinking." He pulled out three more glasses and poured into it the same frothy drink everyone else was having. "Duo," Quatre said holding out a glass to the squirrel who shifted as he jumped onto the seat. Duo took the glass, slurped it a bit, nodded and then looked around.

"Clothes," he said shortly.

"Of course," nodded Quatre. "I have some clothes with me. Perhaps, Wufei, you'd like to change out of those too."

"Thank you," Wufei said gratefully, ignoring Heero for the moment. He was not sure what to think so decided that he would not, at least for the time being.

Trowa returned then, scowling. "His things are on the way here," he said, jerking his head towards Wufei so no one would doubt who '**he'** was. Trowa then turned towards Heero and spoke. "The flight has been delayed – one of the Peacecrafts is on his or her way here."

"I take it they want to talk some sense into Heero," Quatre said dryly. "They'll be here soon so there's just enough time for Wufei and Duo to get into something comfortable.

--- --- ---

Once they were in the small bedroom, Wufei turned his full attention to Quatre. "What did you want to say to me?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything about Heero," Quatre said. "You'll have to ask him yourself. But let me tell you this. He's one of the nicest people around. You just have to give him time and let him tell you about himself."

"What does he mean by saying he he'd been made?" Wufei pressed and even Duo seemed to perk up at that.

"It's up to Heero to tell you," Quatre said with a shrug. "All I'm asking you is this. You saw something in Heero which made you think he was worth it to give up on your family and come with him, even if it was a brief glimpse. Just thrust in him. He's not a bad person."

Wufei looked away but nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have to," he said.

"How did you first meet him or Trowa …you all seem like an odd combination," Duo asked out of the blue and Wufei gave his friend a grateful look. That question had been bothering him for a while.

"Trowa and his sister Catherine run an Entertainment business," Quatre replied. "If you want a party arrangement you call the Bartons. Trowa came several times with his sister to arrange a few gatherings at our mansion. It was the same with Heero; the Bartons are the ones who handle public relations for the Peacecrafts as well. Trowa and Heero sort of met when Heero tried to …" he paused and grimaced. "That's up to Heero to tell, really, so why don't we go out now?" He smiled at Wufei. "The Peacecrafts must be dying to meet the person who caused Heero to act so out of character."


	4. Chapter 4

Animal fic part 4

"So," said Duo once Quatre had left them alone to get dressed. "Can you do a full transformation?"

"Yes," replied Wufei looking away politely as he studied the garments he had been handed over. When Wufei was four years old he had found out he could do a Transformation to his animal form that included shifting all the clothes he was wearing as well, something only a high-level shifter could do. He had shown off to his mother the first chance he'd gotten and had been scolded harshly for it.

"Uh," said Duo, and Wufei could see him wriggling from the corner of his eye as he tried to get into the tight jeans he had chosen from the cloth-rack. "Why don't you?"

"No reason really," Wufei said evasively as he stepped into the slacks he had opted for. Now, looking back, Wufei could understand her reasons, but back then it was a different matter. All he could remember of that time was the joy of the occasion leaking out of him as he had sat, sobbing at his mother's feet. She had told him never to do that in the presence of any of the household members – if anyone was to find out he'd be sent away – though he was sure she meant worse. He could see now that his mother had been feeling extremely uneasy within the turbulent Change residence – a new concubine who had produced a kit in her first year before even the first wife had had her first litter. And a male kit at that, no matter what Lady Une said to downplay the significance. Added to the fact that none of the other wives had produced a male kit yet meant there was a chance of him being killed should he overstep his station. Especially when he started to show high-level shifting abilities that none of the legitimate children had.

"What's it like?" Duo persisted. "I can transform bits of clothes when I want to carry stuff with me but not all."

"It's not that difficult," Wufei said diplomatically. "If you can do a partial transformation, you can do a full one. You just need to practice."

"Draws less attention if you just act weak," Duo observed as he pulled on his t-shirt then dragged his braid out.

"Ah," said Wufei, blushing guiltily, since he had been thinking the same thing. "It is difficult when you've got shoes and jewelry to shift."

"Wouldn't know," Duo said with a shrug. "No shoes and no put-ons to try it out."

Wufei paused, wondering about his friend. He had no idea where he lived, if he had a place to live in or if he had any parents. All he suspected was that Duo mustn't have anything important to leave behind if he had been willing to run off with Wufei the moment he'd decided do something harebrained like elope with a blue-eyed mixed breed.

He opened his mouth to comment on it when Quatre popped into the cabin and nodded. "You guys ready? Then you'd better come 'cause the guests are here."

It was with real interest that Wufei watched Prince Milliardo Peacecraft strut up the ramp like a peacock, even though he was in his human form. Long blond hair, well shaped face – the visible part of it anyway and folds of fabric so perfect they must have been ironed on after he had put them on. Milliardo was a singularly good looking man who was…

"Why he wear stoooopid mask on face?" Duo demanded loudly as he hung onto Wufei's shoulder, breaking the moment.

"Oh, he's just going through one of his multiple identity crisis thingies," Quatre said flippantly. "Hell, Zechs, take a seat and have a drink."

"Heero," said Zechs as if Winner hadn't spoken. "My sister is worried that you're acting too hastily. Have you thought this through?" He stopped, took at Wufei and Duo then looked back at Heero. "Do you know what you're about to get into with a total stranger?"

"One apple fizz coming up," Quatre deadpanned. "Zechs that was not a very nice thing to say to Wufei and …"

"It's perfectly alright," said the second figure that came strolling up the ramp. "The kitten always lands on his feet don't you?"

Wufei looked at the new addition, blushed and looked away. "Treize," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the sight of his weapons master. "What are you doing here?"

"Is he really wearing a mask?" Duo said forcefully, though he was playing with his braid nervously. Wufei had to look twice to confirm that indeed, his friend was fidgeting with his hair, which was a sign that he was not as collected as usual.

"It's because he does not want to be recognized as the prince," Quatre said in a low voice, perhaps hoping Duo would shut up.

"As if that draws less attention," Duo said insultingly, drawing Zechs' attention.

"And you are …" Zechs said finally, as if giving into the demands of a persistent child.

"I'm a squirrel, if you must know," Duo said in a slightly louder-than-necessary voice, sticking up his chin in defiance.

"Oh." Zechs blinked. "That's … interesting." He gave Duo a careful once over and then flicked his gaze to Wufei. "For a moment I was worried it was the mouthy one who caused Heero to act irrationally. Thank the Skies, it's not that bad."

"Hay, yooo, what's wrong with me?" Duo demanded as he jumped into Zechs's personal space. "Birdbrain."

"Nothing," Zechs said with the air of someone who'd already dismissed Duo as unimportant.

Duo continued to scowl at Zechs who pointedly ignored him in favor of Wufei, studying him intently. "Cat?" he asked in a slightly amused voice making Wufei bristle while Duo slumped into the sofa with his arms crossed, pointedly looking away to show his displeasure at being ignored. While a part of Wufei wondered why Duo needed to be noticed he was also insulted that he was told he resembled nothing more than a common feline.

"I'm a puma," Wufei hissed a little defensively.

Treize stepped forward to diffuse the situation. "I see you've done something wild for a change," he said as he glided into the room stepping up from the ramp. He stopped in front of Wufei, scented the air and Wufei caught sight of a forked tongue* before it disappeared. "Still a virgin I see but that can be remedied…"

Wufei was jerked to the side so fast he could hear the 'pop' of the vacuum forming where he had been, as Heero pulled him away from Treize. "Don't come near him," Heero growled.

"Is he a cat?" Traize asked from Wufei as he took in Heero's appearance without a twitch. "I'd say you've made a good catch, kitten. Someone who can stand up to your temper by the look of it. This should be interesting." He shifted his attention to Heero and nodded as if he was a casual acquaintance. "Heero Yuy, I presume. You've caused quite a stir."

Heero did not look pleased with the comment though he did stare at the implacably dressed man for a little longer. "Treize Kushrenada," he said softly in his usual nasal tone. "What brings you here? If you are here to take Wufei back…"

Treize held up a hand as if to appease Heero's anger. "I'm just here to see the kitten off," he said. "Zechs and I have been childhood friends. I couldn't let him come alone."

"I'm hardly likely to do anything drastic," Zechs said as he walked over to Treize and handed him a glass of apple fizz. "My sister gives me a hysterical call about Heero eloping with a bit of tra…" he looked around at the inquiring gazes just waiting for him to put his foot in his mouth "…um -- you know and told me to bring him back." He turned his attention to Wufei, who was still in Heero's clutches and nodded. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Zechs Marquise," he said and held out his hand.

"Chang Wufei," Wufei said, shaking hands with him. Zech's palm was calloused and hard, not at all like his soft outward appearance, and Wufei had to reassess some of the impressions he'd gotten about the pretty boy.

"I must say," Zechs said with a small apologetic smile. "I did not create a good first impression. My sister means the world to me and when she called me, sounding so distressed, I thought something big had happened."

"You're damn lucky I ran into you," Treize said with one of his teasing smiles Wufei was so familiar with. He had seen it countless times as he'd faced down the wrong end of Treize's rapier. "There you were, in the middle of the estate, flapping around like a headless chicken…"

"I resent that description," Zechs said as he smiled back at Treize. "And I'm sorry if I shed any feathers on the upholstery."

"That's to be expected," said Treize. "So what will you do now?"

"My sister is somewhat spoiled," Zechs admitted somewhat reluctantly, while to Wufei's left, Duo mumbled 'somewhat' under his breath but continued to sulk in the corner. "And the situation doesn't seem as bad as I was led to believe. But, perhaps … Heero, a word with you, if I may."

Heero seemed ready to drag Wufei with him to the private meeting but Wufei balked. "Why don't you go alone?" he said finally. "I think I'll stay here and wait it out."

Heero turned around and looked over Wufei's shoulder at someone, forcing Wufei to crane his head as well. Behind him, leaning against the open doorway, stood Trowa, scowling at the world in general. "Look after him," Heero told Trowa and got an answering nod. Wufei got the impression no matter how much he was disliked by Trowa, he would be looked after very well by the taller boy.

Once Zechs and Heero had moved to the next room, Treize looked at Wufei, then smirked. "There I was thinking you'd be marrying that nice girl and raising a litter by next year."

"You and me both," Wufei said with a grimace. "Though by the looks of it, the litter is still a possibility."

There was a sudden sound behind him and he turned around swiftly to see Trowa move back, his face unreadable. Something Wufei had said seemed to have made and impact on him though what exactly, Wufei could not guess. He turned his attention back to Treize and asked the question he had been dying to know the answer to. "How's everyone taking my … desertion?"

"There's no need to be so harsh on yourself," the older man said gently. "You weren't exactly treated well back home so this shouldn't have come unexpected." He patted Wufei's shoulder and added, "You mother sends her love. She is glad you managed to do something for yourself, finally."

"Thank you," Wufei said, looking down at his feet to hide the relief in his eyes. His mother was fine, that was all he needed to know. "I suppose there'll be no more fencing lessons from now on."

"Oh," said Treize with a teasing smile. "Not with me perhaps but I heard that both Mr. Yuy and Mr. Winner are excellent fencers. You should be just fine with them. It's just that my reason for visiting your residence has been taken away so I have no excuse to pay my respects to your aunt anymore."

"Lady Une?" Wufei said, jerking his head back up in surprise. "You're courting her?"

Behind Wufei, Duo made a gagging sound as he unashamedly eavesdropped on the conversation.

"She is a fine woman," Treize said though his eyes implied he knew exactly what she was like. "She's a lot like you, you know? Same features, same temper and even the same farsighted eyes…"

"No thanks," said Wufei scowling. "I really don't need to hear this."

"Now kitten, you must…"

Wufei hissed in anger and Treize stopped though he looked more amused than alarmed by Wufei's reaction. But it seemed to have drawn Heero out of the inner room since he came as soon as he heard Wufei, followed by Zechs, who looked all too calm for one whose conversation must have been interrupted.

"What happened?" Heero asked as he looked from Wufei to Treize with suspicion.

"Nothing," Wufei said, looking away. "Are we leaving now?"

"Where are you going?" Treize asked from Wufei and he froze, realizing that he had no idea as to where they were heading.

"We're going to our estate," Quatre spoke up from behind Wufei. "Heero can hardly go back to Sanc at the moment since he's fallen out of favor with the Princess."

"Do I detect a note of sarcasm when you refer to my sister?" Zechs asked a little dryly but also amused. Wufei realized that though the Winners were not aristocrats, they had almost the same social standing as the Peacecrafts did and the two regarded each other as equals.

"She is going to grow up to be fine Queen," Quatre said diplomatically.

"Growing up being the keyword," Trowa spoke – for the first time – from the doorway.

"Ah, Trowa," said Zechs as if only noticing him now. "Going to the Winner estate as well?"

Of course," Trowa grinned ferally. "There's always something to do for a wolf in a sheep pen."

"Or a deer cage," Zechs said blandly, making Quatre blush.

Wufei frowned at the exchange but was distracted as Treize kept his untouched glass on the center of the small coffee table and smiled. "I think we'll be taking our leave now," he said then turned to Wufei. "Best of luck, kitten. Give me a call when you can."

It was as if his last link with his home had been just torn away. As he stood there, hesitating, Treize smiled at him – so unlike his usual smirks – and patted Wufei on the shoulder. It was as close to a personal gesture as he had ever gotten from Treize for a moment he was sure he was going to burst into tears. It felt like good-bye and all of a sudden Wufei was feeling unsure of his decision when…

Duo gave a loud whoop and threw himself at Zechs. As the long haired blond stood stunned, the squirrel glomped him, "Now see bird-boy, what's wrong with a squirrel."

As they all watched, Zechs brought up a hand and instead of pushing the long haired youth away, gave him a firm hug. "There's nothing wrong with the way you are…" he said and smiled as he drew back gracefully. "… for a long haired rodent."

"Hey," Duo's head jerked up, only to stop when he saw the teasing smile on Zechs' face.

"Drop by at my estate when you can," Zechs told everyone, though his gaze seemed to linger on Duo slightly longer than necessary. "I'll be sure to show you a good time." He made a full turn on his heels and walked down the ramp, leaving an open mouthed Duo behind.

"What can I say," said Trowa softly. "The man's got style if nothing else."

"He called me rodent," Duo said, having found his voice a little late.

"He also promised you a good time," Wufei said glumly. "So don't push it."

"I can show you a good time," Heero offered from behind Wufei making him jump like a scalded … well … cat.

"I'll pass," he said as he sat on the closest chair to hide his reaction. "Can we get going now?"

#$%^&*()_+~

Wufei sat in the co-pilot seat which was fun but it was rather daunting to learn that his future husba– er… boyfrie– er… ma– er… intended, was also a fully qualified pilot. He watched Heero handle the controls smoothly, working out what each gauge on the panel meant[I certainly hope it's not Heero who's just working them out as they go] as they flew towards their destination. One thing about Heero was that he did not seem to tire of Wufei's constant questioning. No matter how elementary his query, Heero would answer him patiently in his customary monotonous voice.

"So if this tells the humidity and this the wind speed, why is there another gauge here for the same thing. Back up?" Wufei asked.

"There's one for each engine," Heero said without looking away from his seat. "The red one is for the overhead emergency engine, which is not in use now."

"So, why don't you use the auto pilot?" Wufei asked.

"It's only a short flight," Heero said with shrug, prompting Wufei to look at Heero for the first time. It was the first indirect answer he'd received from the other boy and he was amused.

"You like it," he observed.

"Would you like to try?" Heero asked suddenly.

"What?" asked Wufei startled.

"I'll unlock the co-pilot controls now," Heero told him. "Put your hands on the controls. You won't be able to change anything but you'll feel everything I'm doing."

Wufei complied immediately, his fingers closing over the grips comfortably. He could immediately feel a difference, as if the entire ship was in his palm. He could feel the minute changes in wind-speed and thrust affecting their speed and direction. He looked at Heero, grinning in surprise. "I didn't think … the controls were this advanced."

"You're getting a neural feed through the nerves in your palm," Heero said smoothly. "I didn't want to overwhelm you by giving you the feel of a full body control."

"It must feel amazing," Wufei said, overwhelmed by the feel of such power under his command.

"It is," Heero agreed with him and it was obvious there were real emotions in the tone. It made him sound more human and for a moment, when Wufei turned to look at him, his profile looked less tense. It was what made Wufei think that Heero would be more approachable.

"Hey, Heero, what did you mean by … you not being born but made?"

There was a long pause during which Wufei wondered if he'd overstepped him boundary when Heero spoke softly.

"I was a part of an experiment by Dr. J. to create the perfect soldier," he said, his voice taking the recorded quality again. "The experiment was funded by Senator Darlian, who was working for the the regent of Sanc, ….. Peacecraft. I was raised in a lab and trained to perfection until the project was exposed by a co-worker in the lab by the name of Odin Lowe." He looked at Wufei directly in the eye and shrugged. "I am the result of numerous genetic material from several subjects who had desirable traits being put together."

Wufei was silent for a moment, digesting the information. He closed his eyes and tried to think rationally. Heero was not, according to him, a person but an amalgam of genetic material put together. A part of him cringed in disgust at the thought but another fraction of him recalled the way Heero had put his arms around Wufei – the warmth and the safety it had represented.

He opened his eyes and looked at Heero who was regarding him with a steady gaze, eyes half hidden by the bangs that fell over his forehead. This was the person Wufei had banked his future on, given up a perfect marriage and a secure life for. Heero was waiting for his reaction to the revelation, Wufei realized.

"Heero," he said softly. "Can you switch to auto-pilot?"

Heero did it wordlessly, for a change. Instead of giving him an affirmative and waiting for Wufei to spell out word for word what he wanted from him, he stood up wordlessly. He walked up to Wufei and stood in front of him. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I want you to kiss me," Wufei said as firmly as possible, though it was not very convincing, even to his ears.

There was a slightly bemused look on Heero's face as he said, "Yes, we should really get to that."

* I don't know if pythons and all have forked tongues like ordinary snakes do. Just thought Treize should have one to go with his forked eye-brows. [according to google, they do]


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – Read the note at the end

Animal fic part 5

As kisses went it was pathetic – Wufei had not kissed anyone before and from the feel of it, neither had Heero. Heero seemed more intent on holding Wufei tightly against his chest and forcing him against the wall, making it hard for him to breathe. He pushed Heero aside and scowled, "If you have no idea what you're doing, just tell me already," he snapped.

Heero, thankfully enough, didn't point out that Wufei did not seem to be well versed in that area either. Instead, he simply shrugged and moved away. "I can read up on the correct technique," he offered blandly and turned towards the controls of the ship. Wufei looked at the closed door of the cock pit, feeling slightly disappointed, not sure if Heero was joking about their situation. Did the genetically engineered even have a sense of humor to start off with?

Heero, despite his nonchalant appearance, must have felt it too since he reached for Wufei and cuffed him gently at the back of his neck, "Let's leave the controls on auto-pilot and join the others," he said. "We have two and a half hours till we land."

Wufei nodded and preceded Heero to the hatch before anything else could be said -- he did not know what. Their disastrous kiss seemed to weigh heavily on his mind -- perhaps because as far as he could see physical compatibility was just about the only thing that seemed to keep him linked to Heero. He did not know anything about Heero, had not known he was a creation rather than a real person until recently and while it had seemed like a good idea to elope, he was starting to regret his impulsiveness.

Feeling rather morose, Wufei walked into the central room and flopped into a window seat, hoping that at least the view would distract him from his inner thoughts. He could see the other three look at him inquiringly but one look at his face seemed to have convinced them of the need to keep quiet. Heero stepped out of the cock-pit and Wufei looked away once again, unable to think. Heero proceeded down the aisle to the seat next to Wufei and seated himself slowly, almost as if giving Wufei the time to tell him to move away. Wufei looked at him and then looking out again at the cloud covered expanse below him scowling. Just his luck, they were flying over something resembling an expanse of fluffy marshmallows obscuring his view of the ground below. While interesting in the beginning, it was rather monotonous and even he could not pretend to be overwhelmed by the scene.

The other three, seated on the opposite side, observed the proceedings in silence and then turned towards each other as one and started talking with each other loudly. Wufei turned his head to glare at them to let them know they weren't fooling anyone, then looked away to sulk.

When Heero first touched him, Wufei put it down as an accident. It was just a slight pressure against his shoulder as the other shifted in his seat. Wufei looked out intently, trying to see if there was break in the cloud formation. There had to be a gap somewhere – it wasn't as if it was solid. Then Heero shifted again and the seat divider moved a little and a warm hand landed on his upper thigh. Wufei jumped, snarling, "What?"

"Quatre asked you a question," Heero said blankly and Wufei felt himself flushing. He was overreacting on the top of it and it was so unlike him to jump to conclusions like that. Had he really thought Heero might have put his hand on Wufei thigh deliberately? What was he thinking?

"I'm sorry," said Wufei, trying to regain his composure. "I was distracted by the view. What did you ask?"

"We don't know anything about you Wufei," the blond said in a pleasant voice. Wufei had an idea that he made a good mediator. "And you know next to nothing about us, so – I thought we could just get to know each other a little better."

Wufei sighed – talking about his personal preferences was rather low on his list of things to do even if he was in a group of people who seemed non-judgmental. "I have nothing to say," he said as calmly as possible. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"I want to know," Duo chipped in. "How did you three meet?"

Quatre seemed floored by the question while Wufei lifted his head in interest. He was interested in the answer no matter his show of disinterest – he was also curious as to how a mixed-breed cat, a wolf and a deer had all become fast friends.

"Well," Quatre said after a short pause, giving a rather nervous smile. "Trowa and I met through his sister, Cathy."

"Oh," said Duo leaning forward in his seat. "Do go on."

Wufei shifted a little, aware that Heero had yet to remove his hand from Wufei leg – it was resting exactly where it had landed, warm and heavy, as large as a pink elephant in the room. The seating arrangement on the other side was four seats, in sets of two facing each other, with Trowa seated facing the other two, Wufei was sure everyone knew where Heero's hand was resting.

"Trowa's sister is in the entertainment business," Quatre explained to Duo. "She does exclusive shows to house parties …"

"You mean like strip shows?" Duo sounded excited and Wufei winced at the thought. That, he did not want to know.

"Oh, no," Quatre actually sounded amused and Trowa snorted, seemingly not offended. "She's a knife thrower and that day, she brought Trowa as her assistant."

"Ah," said Duo in a voice which implied he understood. "Sounds like fun."

"It was," Quatre said. As he was really getting to the story, the hand started to inch up Wufei leg – not that there was that much distance to inch up. "Cathy's knife slipped a little and Trowa's cheek got cut."

"Almost a scratch," Trowa said, making the first contribution to the conversation. Heero hand cupped Wufei's crotch.

Wufei gave out a strangled gasp, as if someone had stepped on his tail and grabbed Heero's wrist in a grip that should have had him screaming in pain. There was no reaction and Wufei could not even budge the offending arm. Wufei resorted to rounding up on Heero angrily, "Yuy, kindly remove your hand from … from…" He drifted off as three pairs of eyes centered on his as one.

"So, you treated him," said Duo, sounding slightly forced.

"Yeah," said Quatre hastily. "After the show …"

Wufei tried to shift his hips but at the exact same moment, Heero's hand moved, his hot palm cupping his semi –erect cock gently. Wufei tensed. Stifling a groan, Wufei spread his legs wider despite the protests of his mind. It felt so good; his body wanted more, audience be damned. It was as if his body was reacting to the physical stimulation even when common sense told him that he should not be acting in this manner in public.

Heero reached for the zipper of his jeans and pulled it down with a loud 'zzz' sound. It was probably heard all over the cabin. Wufei wanted to stand up, to run away, but three things arrested his movements. One was Heero's hand down his pants, cupping his rapidly hardening member through his underwear. Secondly, there was nowhere else to go since they were in a confined space and hiding in the small bedroom and through that to the bathroom was not how he planned to spend the rest of the voyage. And finally, the other three were trying very hard to act as if nothing was wrong.

The moment Heero's fingertips brushed the skin of Wufei's pelvis, Wufei's eyes closed reflexively. He couldn't believe the sensation of thrills and chills coursing down his spine. Had two other people done something similar in Wufei's presence he would have reacted with righteous indignation, perhaps told them to take their perverted activities elsewhere. How dare they display such base animalistic behavior – the fact they were shifters meant they were better than ordinary animals and a step above normal humans. However, at that moment lust was overcoming most of his thought processes, and all Wufei wanted was more of this sensation.

"…plastered his cheek and we got talking and…"

Heero moved Wufei's underwear aside and cupped his erect member, making him gasp. Oh, by the Ceiling Cat, this was not happening to him! Wufei was clutching at Heero's wrist but it had approximately as much effect as if he had been clutching at a steel beam. Not in the presence of others who were all happy to ignore his plight. Not that Wufei was protesting too much. He could have broken loose at any moment -- he was well versed in martial arts – enough to break Heero's arm and get free but there was something deliciously forbidden about getting hand job in the presence of others even if they were not looking at him.

Still, Wufei did not want everyone to see his body bared to the open air so he grabbed a blanket from a side of the seat and draped it haphazardly over his lap just as Heero eased his dick out of his jeans. The blanket didn't help Wufei since he knew his entire cock was now protruding from his pants. Hesitantly, Wufei peeked down. Seeing the blanket appearing like a tent and Heero started to move his hand up and down in a familiar, yet at the same time novel way, making his neck snap back. Wufei's head hit the headrest hard as he bit back a groan.

"…then …" Quatre's voice seemed to falter, not that Wufei had been paying any attention to it. It had just been there in the background like some comforting noise. "..I…uh…"

Heero's hand sped up, thumb flicking over the head of Wufei erection on the upstroke reached the tip…

"If you keep that up, you'll make me come," Wufei gasped hoarsely in a voice so unlike his own he was startled.

"That should feel good," Heero answered back matter-of-factly.

"I'll get come on my – Quatre's clothes." The owner of the clothes had stopped talking completely and Trowa suddenly bolted from view into the bedroom.

"Use this," Duo called out and a pack of hand wipes came flying over to them and landed on Heero's head.

Normally, Wufei would have died of embarrassment but instead he just sank further into the seat, spreading his legs further to give Heero more access. He did not care who was watching as long as he got his release. Wufei felt his body shiver as Heero was intent on making him come where he sat. "Shit, I can't hold it," he gasped, tearing the cellophane cover off the tissue packet with his teeth in his hurry. Feeling it rush up on him before he could prevent it, Wufei snatched the tissues in a bunch and whipped it under the blanket quickly, trying his best to contain the mess.

Never in his wildest dreams did Wufei imagine he would be ejaculating in his seat, with an audience as well. His climax washed over him, his body tensing up, his teeth clenching, Wufei came with a muted grunt. As his body shook, he fell back in to the seat, realizing for the first time that he was sweating profusely.

"Oh, shit, man," Duo said after a while. "You think Trowa's finished jerking off 'cause I think it's my turn on the loo now."

~!#$%^&*()_+

"I'm not talking to you," Wufei told Duo who ignored the comment to sit on the bed.

"You missed dinner," said Duo conversationally, plucking at the bedcover. Qutre's mansion was opulent, and the bedroom Wufei had been assigned was spacious and welcoming.

"Quatre had one of his sisters bring up a tray for me," Wufei said, feeling slightly better that the most embarrassing incident of his life has not been brought up.

"Ah," said Duo, looking at Wufei. "Just how many sisters does he have? I've lost count."

"Far more than you can count." Wufei smirked slightly, feeling more secure now that that dreaded topic had not been brought up.

"As if you'd know," Duo taunted back. "For a guy who spent the entire time since we've disembarked in his shift form, you seem pretty collected."

Wufei colored and looked away. He knew he was behaving rudely, especially to his hosts who had put up with him at a moment's notice but he had been so ashamed of his transgression that he had been unable to face anyone. He had shifted into his animal form, leaving al his clothes behind in his hurry and had remained so until they had landed. Then Quatre, perhaps understanding Wufei's mental state, had asked one of his sisters to escort Wufei to his room and that he be left undisturbed. Wufei did not know what excuse had been given, perhaps that he was too exhausted after eloping to face everyone else.

"Let's not -- " Wufei started when Duo grinned and flopped backwards on the bed.

"This is good," he said wistfully. "They gave me and entire bedroom with an attached bathroom. And there were towels."

"As if you'd know how to use them," Wufei said, not unkindly. It made him uncomfortable to hear his friend talk with awe about things he'd taken for granted.

"Yeah," Duo agreed readily. "I think I'd nick a few things while I have the chance."

"You wouldn't," Wufei said, looking at his friend sharply.

"Oh," said Duo still grinning cheekily. "May be I will, maybe I won't." Then he smirked knowingly. "But your boyfriend gives a whole new meaning to the word sticky fingers doesn't he?"

Wufei colored, this time more with anger than anything else at the memory of what Heero had done. "I'll kill him," he snarled angrily. "How dare he do something like that …"

"You know," Duo said thoughtfully. "He's not really a bad guy, right?"

Wufei paused mid-rant to face his friend, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"He let me come along, for one thing,' Duo said contemplatively. "And he lets you have your temper tantrums."

"That doesn't exactly make him a good person," Wufei protested. "And earlier…"

"But you're to blame as much as he is since…" Duo shut up when he saw the expression on Wufei face.

"Whatever," Wufei said grumpily, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't you have a room of your own? Scamp, I'm going to get some sleep and you should, too."

Duo made a face but pulled himself to his feet, yawning as he did. "I'm going, I'm going," he mouthed sleepily. He shuffled to the door on bare feet, stopped as he reached the handle and spoke, his back to Wufei. "Hey, Wufei … you know, about Heero…"

"What of him," Wufei said, making sure not to make it a question but curious.

"You know," Duo hesitated. "That … he's not exactly --" again an annoying pause." --human."

Wufei paused and then looked at his friend who had swung around to face the room. "It did come up in a recent conversation."

"Are you all right with it?" Duo asked softly.

"Who told you?" Wufei asked, ignoring the question.

"I knew for some time," Duo said with another half-hearted shrug. "You read philosophy and poetry, I read the news papers."

"So this was old news," Wufei asked with a sinking feeling. "And why do you feel the need to tell this to me now – why not at the beginning?"

"Because if I'd told you before, you'd have assumed you knew him," Duo said with a small grin. "Now you do so you're in a position to judge him from what you know about him – skillful hands not … umph…" He stopped as Wufei threw a pillow at him.

"Seriously, Duo," said Wufei thoughtfully. "What do you know – all I know is that he's a result of some genetic experiment conducted in Sanc."

"Well," said Duo thoughtfully. "Did he tell you he caused quite a scandal in Sanc when the news came out? It was bad for their pacifist image. It was just after the death of the king and Relena had been crowned queen."

Wufei wordlessly shook his head.

"And then the Queen, in what is considered her only brilliant political move, had him instated as her bodyguard," Duo concluded with a flourish.

"So in other words, she was hiding him in plain sight," Wufei decided.

"Something like that." Duo winked. "Or maybe she was just swept away by his manliness and thought to have him next to her for all times. If those rumors are true, most bodyguards do a lot of off duty work with the person they are guarding." Wufei was surprised to feel a stab of jealousy at those words as he managed a look of indifference. "Wasn't really paying any attention at the time," Duo added. "You should look it up on the net or ask Heero for the full story."

"I will," Wufei said shortly then softened his words with a smile. "Thank you – Duo."

"No problem," Duo leered. "Just name your first kit after me."

Note: Ok, as things go, I'm shifting to Singapore. That's a whole new different country for me (NUS to be exact) I'm going on the 8th so in the middle of some last minute packing. I have no idea how long it'll take me to settle down and whether I'll have the time to update this story frequently. Also, I'm leaving my computer behind so I'll have to find / buy something there, get a new connection etc …etc…

So, wish me luck and if you think I should know anything before I go to Singapore, plz, let me know. In the mean time, I'll update this story as soon as I've found my footing there.

Also, Happy new year everybody :)


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

When Wufei was a kitten, he had been plagued with nightmares, so bizarre that he had no idea where his kitty-brain had churned them up from. Wherever the reason, these dreams of being eaten by giant gecko had driven him to endless nights of sleepless torture until his mother had become extremely worried about her only son walking around looking like a zombie panda.

For an entire week, every night, she had shifted into her animal form and entered his bedroom through the balcony window. Then she had curled up around him on bed, protecting him from the wrath of the angry crawlers until the first light of daybreak brought his relief. Wufei had enjoyed though night when he had curled into his mothers soft underbelly, smelling her soft fur, feeling her tail flick overhead occasionally, feeling so loved and cared for. Of course, it did not take long for the word to get to the head of the household that the upstart Concubine was interfering with the proper upbringing of the only male heir of the Pride, not that she was his mother and Wufei's mother had been banned from seeing him for over a month.

Wufei closed his eyes and shifted in his bed, feeling the warmth of the body encompassing him. He was too sleepy to think clearly and there was a body as warm and inviting as his mother's surrounding him, faintly purring. The fur was slightly coarser than his mother's, even in the underbelly but Wufei did not care as kitten-memory took over. He instinctively buried his face under the paws of his companion, burrowing into the under-fur until his semi-transformed mouth found what he was looking for. His lips closed around the nipple and like a kitten in a dream he started to suck.

Even as he did, his body started to shift, his clothes merging and shedding off his body. He was sleepily burrowing into the warm nest, his lips and tongue still working on the nipple he had discovered when he realised he was not in his bed. He was not in his own house if his memory served him correctly and there was no way he was back to being a kitten being cuddled by his mother. He woke up suddenly; coming to him senses in an instant, though it took him slightly longer to work the nipple out of his mouth since it seemed to have become rather stuck to his upper palate and opened his eyes. And found himself being studies by a pair of intense blue eyes – at least Heero looked more puzzled than amused.

"I'm sorry," Wufei blurted out. "I thought you were my …" _mother_ "…someone else."

"Hn," Heero said shifting into his human form. As usual, he seemed to have forgone his clothes though Wufei decide not to comment on it as long as Heero did not mention the embarrassing happenings of the morning. "Why did you suck on my mammary gland?" Heero continued. Or not.

"I –" Wufei blushed, loosing his usual calm. "I did it out of habit, sort of thing you do as a kitten."

"I had an artificial feeder," Heero commented thoughtfully. "I suppose it is different when you are queen* fed." He gave Wufei a long searching look as if trying to confirm something. "I thought we were weaned."

Wufei spluttered, his face turning purple in his effort to breathe and scream at the same time. He picked up his pillow and hit Heero on the head with it, not that it would make much difference. "I am, you moron," he shouted. "I was just a sleep reflex – all cats have it and you would too if you are a proper cat." Then he realized perhaps that was not the most politically correct way of saying it, especially in light of Heero's confession about being made and not raised.

Heero however, did not seem to consider it an insult. Instead, he considered that statement the same way he would any other and shifted back into his cat form. However, instead of jumping off the bed and padding out, as Wufei expected him to do, he folded up on himself and regarded the nipple that had been in Wufei's mouth. Much to his chagrin, Wufei could see that it was still wet, with saliva making the fur around it stick together in clamps. He had not been aware he had been sucking that hard – by the Ceiling Cat, it was mortifying.

Heero stuck out his tongue and licked the spot, brought his hind leg up for more leverage and then stuck his face deep into his underbelly as if trying to do what Wufei hoped he was not doing …

"Heero," Wufei said in a strangled voice. "What are you doing?"

Heero jerked his head up and looked at Wufei speculatively. "I was reproducing your tongue movements on my mammary glands," he said calmly.

"What," Wufei shouted. Well, he intended to shout though it came out all squeaky which was probably just as well since he could hear footsteps on the corridor outside his door which meant the household was coming awake. He really did not want everyone to find out Heero was on his bed, naked, sucking on his own tit. Really, even the most surreal dreams of Wufei's did not compare to this.

"It does not feel the same," Heero continued in a tone of bored intellect. "When you did it, it felt – arousing, gave me an erection but at the same time I felt protective of you but when I do it to myself, I merely find it annoying."

"Well, maybe you should try it out on all eight of your nip – mammary glands," Wufei said weakly, seeing that he was not about to win the argument.

"Seven," Heero replied monotonous. "I was born with seven."

"That's – interesting," Wufei said at a loss of anything else to say. "I can see why do not want to raise a litter on your own."

"Most litters do not amount to eight," Heero argued. "And I believe you will be the one breastfeeding in our family." He lifted his hind leg fully and angled forward until his head was between his legs, probably studying himself at a close angle.

"I'm going to wash up," Wufei said at a loss of anything else to say, rolling off the bed when another thought stuck him. "Why are you on my bed?"

"I believe it is customary to kiss ones' intended good morning," Heero said calmly, his voice muffled.

"I'll go brush my teeth," Wufei said in a careful tone as he walked calmly to the bathroom. Ones inside he closed the door carefully, making sure not to slam it and drew the deadbolt inside. Then he leaned against the door and banged his head hard on the wooden frame a couple of times, just to make sure he was not dreaming.

What had he been thinking of, eloping with a total stranger who was half mad, who was probably right not trying to breastfeed himself. Really, he was better off back home, where at least, Meiran as the clear distinctive female of the clan would have been the one to bare kittens. There people were consistently unpleasant to him that he did not have to second guess their statements and attitude and no one was insane.

Wufei considered holing himself up in the bathroom but his stomach growled reminding him that he was still a growing a cat and needed his daily nourishment. He did not think the Winner estate bathrooms came equipped with room service no matter how sophisticated they were.

He hurriedly showered, brushed his teeth and donned a bathrobe that had been hanging from a wall hook, matching the colour of the tiles and strolled into the room – where he blinked. When he had left earlier, there had been one person on his bed, now there were three more.

They were all dressed, which was a relief, even Heero who had changed into a pair of spandex shorts and a sleeveless top. He looked up from the centre of the pile they were in and nodded towards Wufei as Quatre spoke in a low voice to Trowa and Duo about something. "Good morning Wufei," Quatre greeted him with a warm smile. "I hope you don't mind us crashing like this but a courier dropped off your belongings and I thought you might like them back."

Wufei was sure there was no proper way to saying he did not enjoy having people crash on his bed in the early hours of the morning. After all, it was not as if it had ever happened to him before and he was not sure if he liked it or not. He had never had friends so to speak of back home and he was sure, if nothing else, this odd combination of people counted as friends. He decided to stick to a neutral topic and chose a safe subject.

"So, where are my things?" he asked carefully.

"On the table," Duo pointed to two large boxes on the night table and then sighed. "I'm hungry, are we going to eat soon."

"You have two choices," Quatre said with a laugh. "We can either go down and eat in the main dinning hall or I can order food for the five of us."

"Order up," Trowa said from a corner of the room. "I don't feel like a formal sitting."

"You mean they might not recognize you with clothes on?" Duo quipped with a smirk.

In reply, Trowa rolled his eyes and snorted. Wufei felt his lips twitch though he ignored that in favour of walking to up to the table and prying open the boxes that had his name on it. He tried hard not to think too much of it, wondering who had packed his things, a life times worth, which had fit neatly into two boxes. He did his best not to imagine his mother, wiping her eyes discreetly as she sorted his belongings under the watchful eye of lady Une. He really wished there was someway of contacting his mother – especially after his wake up call in the morning, he realised he missed her very much. However, he did not think he was ready to call home, not yet.

His resolve was almost broken when the first thing he pulled out of the box turned out to be his favourite book. A bedtime story book his mother had given to him, nothing like the scholarly texts he had read later on. There was no question as to who had packed his belongings now. His mother had done it.

He put it aside and pulled out the next item, another book of his, hoping his face would not betray his feelings. He turned his back to the group, making a show of arranging the books he had pulled out, keeping his head low so his hair fell forward.

"So, did you two have a good morning?" Duo asked as he walked around the bed. "Should I be told to avoid any wet spots before I sit on the bed?"

"Nothing happened," Wufei ground out as he pulled out a few more books which he kept on the table.

"Neither of us leaked," Heero added helpfully.

"Sooo," said Duo taking it as an invitation to half fall on the bed, now occupied by Quatre and Heero. "What did you talk about?"

"Nothing in particular," Wufei said as Heero said, "Nipples."

"Nipples," Trowa repeated from his position facing the door, sounding amused, as if he understood just how embarrassed Wufei was feeling.

"In relation to litter rearing," Wufei said as if to clarify the conversation. He looked over his shoulder at Trowa, glaring, hoping the boy would take a hint and shut up. However, he frowned when he saw the expression on Trowa's face – instead of looking angry or pleased, he simple looked worried.

"You two eloped yesterday, don't you think its' a little too soon," he said carefully, his voice devoid of his usual dislike. It was almost a warning as if … Wufei frowned, trying to figure out exactly what Trowa was trying to say when Heero intervened.

"We will eventually have to mate," he said as if speaking of breakfast.

"I can see why things are going the way they are," Duo said in a sing-song voice.

"Shall we give it a rest," Wufei said carefully. "While I am grateful for Quatre for putting up with me I do not think I can live here…"

"No one will notice an extra mouth to feed," Quatre said generously. "Our household is huge and there are a lot of empty rooms in the mansion."

"Thank you," said Wufei. "But like wolf-boy pointed out, I need to earn my living, perhaps find a job and earn some money of my won."

"You do not need to," Heero said, sitting up on bed and shifting fully to his human form. "I will provide for you."

"In case you haven't forgotten, you don't have a job also," Trowa pointed out dryly. "Unless you want to go back to your old job as bodyguard to the Peahen of the world."

"I do not think I have lost my job," Heero frowned, thinking it over. "I am merely not reporting to work. Perhaps I can sell my services to someone else," he said thoughtfully. "Like another politician that needs protecting."

"Or a mercenary," Duo offered. "Or a hired assassin, or a …"

"Don't give him ideas," Quatre said, hitting Duo with a pillow. "Let's just eat and then relax for a day or two before making any life changing decisions." He looked at Wufei and then added. "Any _more _ life changing decisions."

Wufei pushed his things aside and looked around, leaning against the table, turning his back to his things so he did not need to deal with any more emotional baggage. He had pulled out his sword and he did not want to dig any deeper into the boxes. "Traize said you could handle a sword," he said instead.

"Formal training," Quatre replied. "Rapier."

"I use a broadsword," Wufei replied. "Different styles."

"But we can cross swords and see how skilled you are," Heero offered. "Quatre and I are so used to each others' fighting styles we do not offer much of a challenge."

"I wouldn't say that," Quatre replied with a shrug. "But it would be nice to spar with someone else who does not use the same weapon."

"I could always take up a job as a martial arts instructor," Wufei speculated.

"Or a pole dancer," Duo offered cheekily. "I've seen you practicing and you have the moves."

"What exactly does a pole dancer do?" Heero asked curiously

"We are not going into this," Trowa growled from the middle of the room and startled, Wufei wondered when exactly the taller boy had moved. Trowa stood attentively, then walked to the door sniffing the air. "I smell bacon, I think breakfast is here."

"Yay, food," Duo said scampering off the food. "Bacon."

"I thought squirrels were vegetarian," Quatre said with a frown. "Or ate insects and stuff."

"Nah," Duo shrugged. "That's a myth**. Food is food is food."

They all waited around as a servant pushed the food cart in and opened the dishes. Once he had left, they all fell on the food like the five starving teenagers they were. Wufei took his plate to the table since the bed was getting rather crowded. As he did, he noticed Trowa leaning forward, whispering furiously to Heero who was listening intently. He did not think they were discussing the dangers of eating bacon.

After a while Heero looked at Wufei then flicked his eyes down. Wufei mentally shrugged. If it was relevant to him, he would eventually hear of it.

"Afterwards I thought you might want a tour of the gardens Wufei," Quatre offered.

"I'd like that," Wufei said carefully, one eye on Heero and Trowa. "Thank you very much."

"We also need to talk," Trowa said looking up, meeting his eyes directly. While it was not a friendly invitation, there was no hostility there and Wufei nodded in agreement.

"We also have a stable if anyone wants to …" Quatre started only to stop as someone started to knock on the bedroom door insistently. He got to his feet and padded to the door and pulled it open. "Rashid," he said. "What is it?"

"There is a message for Master Heero from Queen Relena," Rashid said from the other side of the door. "She says it is urgent."

* * *

"… time for you to go back to your job," Wufei said with a scowl. He was not very pleased that his mate – well, soon-to-be-mate was at the beck and call of a sixteen year old girl who had commanded he come back to her. Heero was an alpha and no one should be able to order an alpha around, especially a peahen with a brain the size of an apple pip. Wufei was not sure what annoyed him the most; that Heero was leaving Wufei or his assumption he could leave Wufei without getting his permission. Wufei had as much a claim on Heero as that bitch did and how dare her needs superseded his claim, not that Wufei needed Heero or anything. He was independent, strong, self sufficient but at the same time he was in a new place and … Wufei shook his head, not liking the direction his thoughts were going.

"It is my job," Heero said tonelessly. "When she gave me a purpose after rescuing me from the labs I promised my loyalty to her."

"That's convenient," Duo murmured. "And now she wants you back since she thinks someone is out to kill her."

"Even if Relena were to lie Dorothy would not," Trowa said, against standing against the wall, his back to the wall, facing the door. Wufei was starting to notice that the wolf always positioned himself in a place where he could observe the room fully without being obvious and that he never sat if he could stand. "There must be a grain of truth in it, even if exaggerated."

"That is what I am afraid of," Quatre said with a frown. "I fail to see why anyone would want to kill her though. Zachs is next in line by default and I do not see anyone taking advantage of him."

"She did not say kill," Wufei with an eye roll. "She said an attempt… and she did not say how."

"Anyway, it is my job," Heero replied. "I have to go back to see if the security protocols are online."

"Fine," Wufei snapped then looked away. Then he looked at Heero reluctantly and asked almost against his will. "How long will this take?"

Heero frowned, stopping his ammunition-count in mid-motion. "I do not know," he admitted finally. "Flying to the Sanc Capital takes a day itself and …"

"We do not have that much time to waste," Quatre said firmly. "Even if she is a twit, Relena is good at keeping peace. Take one of carriers Heero."

Heero nodded. "Thank you," he said as he shouldered his backpack. "That will cut down the travelling time in half." Though he spoke in general, his eyes met Wufei's and Wufei knew it was said for his benefit.

"I'll contact Zachs and see if he knows anything," Quatre said softly.

"Keep them safe," Heero told Trowa making Wufei growl. Why did Heero assume Wufei could not take care of himself?

"I will," said Trowa looking at Wufei with his uncovered eye. "I might not like him but if he is your mate, he is pack."

Wufei did not reply to that; he had just been offered the protection by an alpha wolf and he knew it was an honour. A wolf would never abandon a member of the pack and no matter how reluctantly, he had become a part of it.

"I'll call the hanger crew and tell them you are coming," Quatre said as he walked up to the inter-com.

"Hn," Heero grunted as he walked up to Wufei then gave him an unexpected, one armed hug. Wufei, stunned by the unexpected display of public affection stood rock still until Heero let him go and then walked out of the door without a backward glance. He felt a twitch that meant he was being watched and turned around, expecting Trowa to be drilling holes in his back with his eye. However, it was Duo who was watching him intently.

"What," Wufei said defensively.

"Go after him and give him a kiss," Duo said, pointing with his chin in the direction of the door.

"He'll be back," Wufei said with an embarrassed shrug. "It's no big deal." And he was still angry with Heero for leaving at the whim of some female.

"If you say so," Duo said with a roll of his eyes.

"Plus, he's a big cat," Wufei said with certainty. "He can take care of himself." That much he was sure of. He knew just how strong Heero was and was positive the cat would come back to him.

However, he was not that sure of it when six hours later they received a tele-message from Space control stating they had lost track of the Class GW-01 Winner Carrier headed for Sanc. It was almost as if Heero had fallen off the face of the Universe.

*Queen referring to the mother cat not the queen of the world sort of thing.

**My squirrel loves bacon and eggs. And anything meat.

when reading the previous chapters, I realised I have messed up Wufei's animal form. He is a Black panther, not a puma.

A/N – Moving to Singapore last year has opened my eyes to a lot of things about the Chinese culture and the Chinese themselves. While Singapore is not China, there is a strong Chinese influence here and can't say I like it all. Funny, never thought I was such a person but …


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